FRANCE QUALIFY FOR BRAZIL 2014

France qualified for next year's World Cup in Brazil after coasting past Ukraine 3-0 in Paris. Strikes from Mamadou Sakho, Karim Benzema and an own goal from Oleh Husyev saw Les Bleus edge their visitors 3-2 on aggregate.France have become the first side ever to qualify for a World Cup finals tournament after surrendering a two-goal advantage in the first leg of a European play-off after an heroic display at the Stade de France. Sakho grabbed his first international goal early on, before Benzema's opportunistic strike and an own goal from Husyev saw Didier Deschamp's side book their ticket to next summer's showpiece in Brazil.

84 percent of the French public polled in the national press this weekend did not think that their team would be able to turn the tide following Friday's 2-0 defeat in Kiev, though that didn't stop the majority of the assembled 81,338 support belting out La Marseillaise at the top of their lungs in front of President François Hollande before kick-off. The French national anthem was a call to arms during the French revolution, and the players took to their task with fitting fervour.

France pressure

Ukraine had barely had time to get into position when Franck Ribéry started asking questions of their stand-in right-back Vitaliy Mandzyuk. The Bayern Munich man's penetrating forays down the left wing caused havoc from the outset, and visiting goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov was called into action early on when one such run led to a cut-back to Benzema at the back post. The Real Madrid man thrashed the ball back across goal and when Mathieu Valbuena picked up his teammate’s deflected effort, only smart reactions from Pyatov stopped the Olympique de Marseille man's first time effort from nestling in the corner of the goal (2').

A humid six degree evening met the players in the French capital, and after Paul Pogba had two chances - one a header (6'), the other a shot from outside the box (8') - to double his side's advantage, France finally cranked the heat up a notch just past the 20 minute mark. Ribéry let fly from outside the area and Sakho was on hand to stab home the rebound when Pyatov could only parry (22') - the Liverpool defender vindicating Deschamps' decision to play him at the expense of Éric Abidal with his first international goal.

Having set a Ukrainian national team clean sheet record of 752 minutes, Pyatov was perilously close to conceding two goals in the following seven minutes. Ribéry once again powered down the flank, this time cutting inside to go for goal on his favoured right foot. Benzema gambled before guiding the ball over the line with an outstretched toe, only to see the flag go up for offside (29').

Ukraine's defence has been heralded as the Yellow Wall, with Friday’s first leg victory their eighth clean sheet on the bounce, but there was nothing Mykhaylo Fomenko's side could do about the sea of blue they were up against here. Valbuena sent a cross into the box which Yaroslav Rakitskiy could only half-clear. Blaise Matuidi's shot back in bounced up in the air and Benzema - again flirting with offside - was on hand to prod home his 19th international goal (33').

Yarmolenko chance

Andriy Yarmolenko came close to pulling a goal back for Ukraine on the stroke of half-time when his quick footwork created space for a shot, but having beaten Hugo Lloris, the winger's effort was cleared off the line by Mathieu Debuchy (45'+1). French nerves were settled somewhat moments after the restart when Yevhen Khacheridi was sent off for a second bookable offence after catching Ribéry's ankle with the French star yet again about to dance through the Ukraine defence on his own (46').

Deschamps had started the game with an attacking 4-3-3 formation, and with the one-man advantage Ribéry was given carte blanche to attack. Benzema should really have capitalised on the European footballer of the year's selfless play soon after, but having done well to find space in the box, the striker could only blaze his left-footed effort high over the crossbar (57').

Ukraine had won their last four away games coming into this clash - their joint-best run ever - but they never looked like extending that record against a France team with their tails up and they soon conceded a third. Once again it was Ribéry who sparked the attack when he shot from just inside the box. His effort crept towards Sakho at the back post and ricocheted past Pyatov (73'). Despite the former Paris Saint-Germain defender trying to claim the goal, replays showed that it had in fact gone in off Ukraine midfielder Husyev.

History made

At 3-0 on the night, France knew that one goal for their visitors would still be enough for Ukraine to take their place at the World Cup on away goals, but instead of exercising caution, Deschamps threw on Olivier Giroud for the last eight minutes and the Arsenal man came agonisingly close to adding some gloss to the scoreline, only to see Pyatov save his downward header brilliantly from point blank range (87').

A mixture of delight and relief was palpable at the Stade de France at full-time, with France running out 3-0 winners on the night, 3-2 overall. France become the first team ever to qualify for the World Cup after trailing by two goals at the halfway point of a European qualifying play-off tie, and have now qualified for five successive finals since their failure to reach the 1994 tournament in the USA.